The Daughter of Horror called to me, and I could not resist.
The 1955 “beat horror” film – aka Dementia – was high on my list of titles to convert using my SpaceBrains3D process. The problem: All of the readily available public domain prints were, to put it mildly, not good. Really not good. So not good that, for instance, while the opening sequence’s ominously overwrought narration by – wait for it – Ed MacMahon was just fine, the visuals were submerged in a murk so dense that it was impossible to tell what was going on. Was that a face? Maybe it’s a fire hydrant. Anybody got a flashlight?
So, okay, nice idea, wasn’t gonna happen. I put the film back on the “Maybe One Day” shelf and began my search for the next candidate.
And I just couldn’t let Daughter go. Oh, I tried. I started work on, ironically, Francis Ford Coppola’s Dementia 13, got a good way into it, and halfway through a quality-check, I said, “You know? I’m not feeling it.” Print quality be damned, it was going to be Daughter of Horror, or nothing.
I have no regrets. This tale of a nameless woman – both murderer and victim – wandering the alleyways, nightclubs, and high-rise apartments of Los Angeles while exploring the moral rot concealed within the veneer of post-war prosperity had everything needed for the SpaceBrains3D treatment: A marvelously seedy mise en scène; fantastic, noir-inspired cinematography by Ed Wood collaborator William C. Thompson (don’t judge a cinematographer by the company he keeps); and actor/co-director Bruno VeSota courageously delivering maximum VeSota-ness in his role as the gluttonous Rich Man.
And faces. Lots of faces. Faces sometimes shot so tight you could practically smell their breath mints. One of 3D’s rarely noted superpowers is the visceral effect it has on close-ups. Faces become more tangible, more visceral. You can feel their presence, identify with their humanity. With the extra impact of SpaceBrains3D, Daughter of Horror’s catalogue of faces – rich, poor, innocent and debauched – became an immersive survey of the human condition.
I was so enraptured by the fabulous visages of Daughter of Horror 3D that I decided to create a brief homage to the film’s panoply of indelible characters, The Many Faces of DAUGHTER OF HORROR 3D. You can watch it over on YouTube at this link: https://youtu.be/_lwkWRqoPr0.
You’ll get the best effect if you view it with red/cyan anaglyph 3D glasses. Don’t have any? Get in touch with me and I’ll send out a couple of pairs.
And if you want a screener link, let me know.
Daughter of Horror 3D will be released on limited edition, signed DVD this month, November, 2023. The disc will have copious bonus features, and will be available at my Etsy store at https://spacebrains3d.etsy.com.
For further information, gimme a holler.
ABOUT DAN PERSONS AND SPACEBRAINS3D:
Hi, I’m Dan Persons, the dba behind Upstart Company and the conceiver, developer, and sole practitioner of SpaceBrains3D, a system that combines AI and manual processes to create a unique brand of dimensional entertainment. This is by no means a fly-by-night, cash-in type of operation; I come to it from a lifelong passion for how tech can be used to create more experiential forms of art, three years of experimentation born of a dissatisfaction over how mainstream studios were utilizing stereoscopic presentation as a cynical way to apply a premium upsell to the same-ol’ same-ol’, and a thirty year background in film journalism and criticism, including stints at ifc.com and reelz.com, my editorship at the legendary fan magazine Cinefantastique, and present posts doing reviews for WBAI NY’s Hour of the Wolf, and a monthly column, The SF Path to Higher Consciousness, for tor.com.
This is a very personal and intensely creative project for me. I am eager to discuss my views on the use of film tech to enhance a viewer’s experience, my personal journey in developing SpaceBrains3D, and why I regard what I’m producing as artistic works in their own right. I’m available for interview by phone or on-line, in-person here in Philadelphia, and can also come to you if it can be accommodated within a day-trip.
